A perfect potato partnership

The new Seed Potato Germplasm Laboratory on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, according to Jenny Durrin, the Director of the Seed Potato Germplasm Program:

This facility is isolated and it’s away from any of those threats as I like to call them. And there’s also double doors entries, there’s many doors that you have to go to to actually get into the clean section, which would cut down on the chances of fungal and bacteria contaminants coming into the facility as well as small insects,” said Durrin.

“And then also potato pathogens such as potato viruses, potato fungal diseases and bacterial diseases. So those I could say the chances of them getting into the clean side are very, very low in this facility.”

“This is actually a negative air pressure room, and then the door in this intermediate area is positive air pressure. So, you’ll notice that the doors are really hard to open, and it’s acting to kind of push the dirty air out and to keep that air cleans,” said Durrin.

The new five and a half million-dollar facility was funded through a partnership with the State of Idaho, The Idaho Potato Commission, Northwest Farm Credit Services, and private donors Doug Gross and Mary  Hasenoehrl. They’re both former Idaho Potato commissioners, and grow potatoes in Wilder,  in southwest Idaho.